What is Kippax CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

The Kippax CSA scheme provides seasonal vegetables, salad and herbs (as well as fruit in the near future) on a weekly basis for 44 weeks of the year.

The community supports this scheme in two ways:

1) Payment for the produce is made in advance in the Spring

2) Members are encouraged to volunteer on the site whenever convenient and to take part in field days.

Food is grown using organic methods:

This means no chemical fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides are used.

No agricultural machinery is used. (Why do we farm without chemical fertilisers , pesticides, herbicides or machinery?)

Field days along with social events, are held throughout the year. Events at Kippax CSA.

Aims and Goals of Kippax CSA

· To be a model for the replication of other similar CSA schemes around Yorkshire and the UK.

· For the scheme to continue when the founding members leave.

· For the scheme to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

· To teach organic farming methods.

What have we achieved so far?

· Getting our initial members to believe in us when there was just a grassy field!

· We have managed to provide produce for three ‘full shares’ and three ‘half shares’, a total of 4 families and 2 couples for the first year.

· All of the 2009/2010 members have been very supportive and generous with their time, which has allowed us to put more of the field under cultivation.

· Planted an orchard with 15 apple trees and 48 soft fruit bushes with a further 20 apple, plum, pear and gage trees around the boundary.

· Established a permanent herb area.

· Secured a further 2 year contract with our farmer landlord.

· Hand water pump and storage system in place to enable us to water any part of the field quickly.

· Retained a core member base..

· Solar system set up for light and music for social events..

· We have started to let go of the reins by setting up a core group of members who now take care of publicity, web site, emails, social events and finances.

· We have encouraged more wildlife onto the site from surrounding areas due to increased habitat, wildflowers and green manures.

· We have farmed without electricity, piped water, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and agricultural machinery since the field was initially ploughed.

.· Not missed a single share since starting out even during -15C and 12" of snow!

· Water harvesting from poly tunnel and cabin.

· Built 4 large seed beds.

· Set up a green manure / mulch and compost system to eradicate the need to being in fertility from outside, which is costly, time-consuming and unsustainable.